Rising UK star Daisy Edgar-Jones has expressed a desire to work as a producer and director as her career develops.
“I love every aspect of filmmaking, so I think producing would be so magical because I would get to learn about the whole process,” said Edgar-Jones, speaking to Screen at Locarno Film Festival where she received the Leopard Club honorary award this weekend. “I love asking why a DOP has chosen to shoot something with a particular lens; I love the music that imbues a scene with a whole different meaning.
“Definitely I would love to direct at some point too – I’d love to do it all really! The more I do this, the more I realise it is very much a filmmaker’s medium, and therefore being very filmmaker-led is a very valuable thing.”
Regarding her involvement with the creative process on set, the actor said she wants to work without a stand-in (a person who takes the place of a principal actor for rehearsals or set-ups) wherever possible to continue her education.
“Most of the work I’ve done in the UK has been quite small, so I’ve never had a stand-in, and always been present for eyelines to hear the conversations that are had around camera, and why a camera is chosen,” said Edgar-Jones, who was named a Screen UK-Ireland Star of Tomorrow in 2020.
“For Normal People [the BBC/Element Pictures series through which she broke out in 2020] I remember a discussion about when a lens was from Marianne’s perspective and when it was from Connell’s, and how that might affect the way you perform because Connell’s version of Marianne was different from Marianne’s version in her head. And I enjoyed being a part of that, so now I try and ask if I can be standing in.”
Locarno screened Olivia Newman’s Where The Crawdads Sing, the Sony thriller that gives Edgar-Jones her first studio lead role, in its Piazza Grande section; as well as playing Bill Buckhurst’s 2018 UK indie feature Pond Life – her first film appearance.
While she “would love” to keep working in the US, Edgar-Jones says she “definitely” wants to return to UK independent film when possible. “I think we do indies brilliantly [in the UK],” said the actor. “I’d love to continue finding those quiet stories that are really special.”
Cinema or streaming
Released in the US on July 15 and in UK-Ireland the following week, Crawdads has started well for Sony, with a $64.6m domestic gross to date as part of a $77.3m worldwide total. Major territories including France, Germany and Italy are opening the film later in the year.
Edgar-Jones is pleased with the box office impact of a female-centric story. “It’s really exciting that women are coming back to the cinema [post-pandemic] and that there is an appetite for that type of film,” she said, noting that its success will lead to more films being made that demonstrate that need. “There’s definitely an appetite for character studies and quite gentle stories, not just big set-piece superhero action thrillers – although I love those films equally! It’s exciting to see there’s a range of films hitting audiences now.”
Producers on Crawdads include Reese Witherspoon through her US brand Hello Sunshine. Witherspoon has transitioned from starring in successful films such as Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde and Walk The Line, to producing films including Oscar-nominated work including Gone Girl and Wild, both in 2014.
“I really admire that aspect of Reese’s trajectory,” said Edgar-Jones. “She really wants to support women and put complicated women in the forefront of stories.”
Regarding the types of stories she would like to make, “I’ve always been character-led,” said the actor. “I love ‘love stories’ in various ways – not just romantic but platonic too. I love being directed – being in somebody else’s vision, and that you can watch a film and not know who the director is, but you know exactly who they are because it’s got their handwriting.”
It is “very special” for the actor that Crawdads has received such a wide theatrical release – the first such of her career. “It’s not something I think about [when choosing projects], but it’s been very cool to be part of something going out in the cinema,” said Edgar-Jones, whose previous film, Sundance 2022 title Fresh, debuted on Disney+. “Certain films like Fresh lend themselves to that home experience too, because there’s something fun about having everyone round and watching it. Although seeing Fresh on a big screen would’ve been cool!”
Edgar-Jones was joined in Locarno by Crawdads producer Elizabeth Gabler of 3000 Pictures, the production division that is part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Gabler noted the studio’s support of a theatrical release on the film.
“It was always meant to be theatrical, because of the scope of the film,” said Gabler. “When we tested the movie, people said ‘I would want to go to the theatres to see this movie. I don’t want to be watching it when my dog comes in; I’m engrossed in this film and I want to be living in this film.
“The timing was very good; we were lucky in that it hit a place where people realised how fun it was to see a movie in the theatre again,” she added. “Top Gun: Maverick coming out before us was a good thing, because [people remembered] “This is what I love doing, I forgot!” So the door was wide open for us to benefit from the same experiences.”
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